The Difference
by shiny silver grl
Summary: When the aliens return from their home world, the impact of the sacrifice Liz made 13 years earlier could mean the difference between Earth’s salvation...and it’s destruction. Immediately after "Baby, it's you". COMPLETE.
1. 2001: Earth

Title: The Difference ****

Title: The Difference (pt 1)

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Takes Place_:_ Immediately after "_Baby, it's you" _ (spoilers up through this episode only)

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Plot: When the aliens return from their home world, the impact of the sacrifice Liz made 13 years earlier could mean the difference between Earth's salvation….and it's destruction.

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Written: 05. 10. 01 – 05. 15. 01

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Feedback: Don't make me beg ; )

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Obligatory Disclaimer: I don't own 'em…and I don't even want Max anymore, after what they've done to him. Bah!!

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Note: This fic is in NO way, shape, or form related to my other Roswell fic, "Sacrifices". That one **will** eventually be a trilogy, but this one's totally separate.

**__**

"The Difference"

~ pt. 1: 2001 ~

~*~*~*~*~

~ Earth ~

Liz's haggard face stared back at her from the mirror above the sink in her bathroom, and she evaluated herself. Her arms bracing her upper body from along either side of the sink, she peered at her reflection and sighed at what she saw. Her long dark hair was pulled back haphazardly into a pony tail, but numerous strands had escaped and fallen into untidy tendrils around her face. She peered into the mirror, noticing the redness in her glassy eyes. It would be obvious that she'd been crying. 

Breathing deeply to try to steady herself against the onset of more tears, she bent to the sink and turned on the faucet. Cold clear water streamed out into her cupped hands, and she brought it up to her face…rinsing away the tear stains on her cheeks, and cooling the heat there. She hoped it would be enough to mask the puffiness under her eyes. How was she going to get through this without breaking down? It was just…too much. Too much on top of everything else. Too much on top of the death of one of her best friends since childhood….

__

Alex…she thought. _I miss you. I miss your wit, and your kindness, and your compassion. I miss your friendship. And I wish I knew what you were thinking when you went to translate the book. Why didn't you tell us what you were doing? Did you know what it was? Did you know it would be exactly what they needed to figure out how to get home?_ Her thoughts turned melancholy as she continued…_did you know it would come just in time to save his baby?_

At the thought, tears welled again in her eyes, and she clutched at the sink to keep herself from collapsing. Struggling silently for a few moments, finally a tiny sob escaped her. A moment later there was a knock on the bathroom door. 

"Liz?" Maria's voice sounded from the other side of the door, "babe, are you okay?"

Hearing the worry in her friend's voice, Liz straightened and brushed the newly shed tears away from her face, composing herself. "Yeah…Maria, I'm okay. I'll be out in a minute." 

She could almost hear Maria thinking on the other side of the door. Finally the other girl spoke again. "They'll be here soon."

Liz nodded, even though there was no one there to see her, save for her reflection, which looked at her beseechingly from the mirror. "I know."

A beat later, Liz heard Maria's footsteps as she walked away from the bathroom, and Liz took a ragged breath. Looking again into her reflection's eyes, she tried to prepare herself for what was going to come. She tried to prepare herself to say goodbye to the only person she'd ever loved. To say goodbye to Max.

Knowing that they'd be there soon, Liz washed her face clear of tears again, and gently patted it dry with a towel. She then went to work trying to put her hair into some kind of order. As she worked, she knew that she was merely trying to delay the inevitable. And when the faint knock came from downstairs, her heart leapt into her throat. Suddenly nothing seemed to work. She couldn't make her hands move without shaking, and she couldn't force herself to turn toward the door to enter her bedroom. She merely stood, holding on to the sink for all she was worth, doing everything she could to keep from falling to her knees. _I can't…_she thought. _I can't do this…I can't believe this is happening…_

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~*~*~*~*~

Michael looked up as the door opened, and searched Maria's eyes. She was playing it cool, he could tell, because Max was there. His own expression was just as empty, but he thought he saw a flash in her eyes for him, and he nodded slightly to show he understood. She stood back to let them enter, and then closed the door softly behind them. The whole affair was carried out with the quiet and solemnity required for a funeral, and Michael shivered as he felt a chill.

__

Someone walking over my grave, the old phrase went. _Except my grave won't be **on** this planet. _Michael and Max followed Maria through the dining room toward the back, and Michael wondered if she was taking them all the way upstairs. When they reached the landing, however, they saw that Liz had come down and stood uncertainly a few steps up. Max stopped abruptly when he saw her, and Michael nearly ran into his friend's back. They all stood there silently for a moment, none knowing what to say, and afraid to go first. Liz's hand clutched tightly at the banister running down the stairs, and Michael suddenly realized she looked terrified. He cleared his throat and decided to dive in…time was a factor, here. "We uh…we came to say goodbye." he said, stating the obvious. 

Liz's stared at the floor…unable to meet Max's eyes. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out, and she couldn't make herself do more than stand there and listen as Maria broke the silence next. "When do you leave?" she asked.

Max glanced at Liz, and then turned back to Maria. "We head into the desert from here…and we leave at daylight tomorrow." Maria nodded, and the four lapsed back into uncomfortable silence. Michael looked at Maria again, but she was looking with concern at Liz and didn't see. Michael didn't mind…this wasn't going to be his final goodbye, anyway. He would be back tonight, after the others had gone to sleep and all of the preparations had been made. He would come back then, and see Maria on his own, for the last time. So he looked at her silently as she reached out to touch Liz's hand on the banister. 

"Liz?" she asked.

Heart pounding in her chest, Liz finally raised her gaze to look at Max…and she went cold when she saw his expression. It wasn't cruel, as she feared. It wasn't angry, or resentful, or sad… It wasn't anything. No sarcastic anger in his eyes today…they stared back at her unfeelingly…with no emotion at all. The way he looked at her…it was like she wasn't even there. Like he had never saved her life; like they hadn't been in love. Like they had never meant anything to each other. 

Liz met his unfeeling gaze and the words she'd had prepared for him died on her lips. In horror at his lack of expression, she choked back everything she'd been going to tell him, and tried desperately to mask the emotions on her face…the pain, the love, the hurt, the desperation. Tried to make it as blank and apathetic as his was. And failed. His continued gaze upon her brought a flush of embarrassment to her face, and she finally managed to open her mouth and speak…just to try to get this over with as quickly as possible. 

"I just wanted to say goodbye," she said haltingly, quietly. "Goodbye and…good luck. I…" Liz stopped. She wanted to say so much more…she wanted to tell him everything in her heart…but she couldn't. How could she now? Now when he was leaving? Now when he was with Tess, and they were expecting a child? How could she tell him she'd never stopped loving him?

Max stared at her, and gone were all of his attempts to see past the feeble lies she'd told him to protect them all, gone was the love and trust in his eyes; gone was any spark of emotion toward her at all. His gaze swept over her and Liz felt as if a cold wind were blowing through her when his eyes came to rest on her own. "Thanks," he said.

And that was it.

And for a moment…the moment right before turned away, she could almost do it. For that moment she wanted to throw herself at him and tell him everything…tell him the truth that she'd been hiding for so long. Even if it changed nothing…she wanted him to know. Wanted him to know that she would rather have died than betray him the way he thought she had. She opened her mouth to speak in that moment, and then the moment was gone. Max was turning away from her to leave, and the moment was gone. With a sinking realization, Liz knew that it didn't matter…the truth would have mattered not at all. Nothing would change, and it could only cause more hurt. He mouth closed again, and she left the words unspoken. 

As Max started to leave, Maria glanced at her friend. "Liz…" she breathed. "Tell him!"

Liz shook her head, but Maria persisted. "You have to tell him!" she said again, more loudly this time. Max heard her, and turned around. 

"Tell me what?" he asked. 

Liz shook her head again, dropping her gaze in defeat. "Nothing," she said. Max looked at her derisively and started to turn away again, but Maria cut in. 

"NOT nothing!" she objected. She stared at Liz, trying to make Liz see how important this was. "Liz, you can't let it end like this."

Liz's head snapped up, meeting Maria's gaze angrily. "Yes I can," she said firmly. "It's over, Maria. It's done. Let it go."

Max watched the exchange in silence, and noted Liz's set shoulders. Whatever it was that she had to tell him, she obviously didn't feel it was important enough to tell him in the last few minutes they'd ever see each other. He started to turn yet again to leave, but yet again stopped short when Michael took hold of his arm and pulled him back. 

"Not over, and not done." Michael said with determination. He looked into Liz's startled brown eyes. His voice was softer when he spoke next. "He needs to know, Liz."

Liz stared back at him, lower lip trembling as all the words she'd wanted to say to Max before hovered there, just waiting to be released. But she couldn't…she couldn't do it. Not when he was looking at her like that. Not when Max was looking at her like he didn't give a damn about her or whatever she had to say. Like he just wanted to leave. Silently she shook her head, as tears threatened in her eyes. 

Max was getting angry. "Look, tell me what you have to, or don't. But we've got preparations to make. I don't have time for this."

Michael looked from Max to Liz, and back again. He considered for a moment just letting it go…but he knew that he couldn't. He couldn't let Max leave without knowing the truth. With Alex's death, and Liz's blatant refusal to stop investigating it, he knew that Max was angry at Liz. He was angry at her for going against him, and for sleeping with Kyle, and for being human. He was angry at the planet that was causing his unborn child to die…it was unable to exist in these conditions; not meant for life here. He had all of this seething hatred for everything around him, and Michael didn't want him to leave with that. Didn't want this malevolence to be all Max took with him from Earth. And Michael made his decision. "There's something you need to know," he started.

**__**

~*~*~*~*~

~ one week earlier ~

Michael heard Maria's voice as he climbed the ladder to Liz's balcony, and he felt his heart constrict in his chest. What he had to tell them both was not going to be easy…for any of them. He tried to tell himself it was mostly their reactions he was worried about, but he knew that it was going to hurt him just as much as it was them. The future yawned before him like the mouth of a great cave…the light barely penetrating the opening. Secrets and the unknown in its depths, and Michael was more than a little afraid to find out what was inside. 

He rounded the top of the fire escape, startling Maria and Liz with his sudden appearance on the balcony. Maria recovered first, and took in his disheveled appearance. He watched her lean closer in confusion. "Is that snow in your hair?" she asked. 

Michael ran a hand through his hair distractedly, impatient and on edge from what he'd just learned. He glanced at Maria and Liz. "I have to tell you something," he said, then paused. "Maybe you guys should sit down."

Maria looked at him quizzically. "Why would we need to sit down?" she asked. 

"Because," Michael said in exasperation, "I have something I have to tell you, and you might wanna be sitting for it." The girls stared back at him, dumbstruck, and he snorted. "Fine, don't sit down. But I'm going to, because this is some heavy stuff."

With a weary sigh, Michael sank to a lounge chair against the wall, resting his head in his hands as he tried to find a way to say what he had to. He knew no matter how it came out, it wasn't going to be good. Finally, he decided on the direct approach. He brought his head back up. "We looked at the book." he said.

Liz perked up…the book was what Alex had been deciphering before he died…it might hold clues to his death. "And?" she asked.

"And," Michael continued… "it's basically instructions." He paused for a moment, and then finished, slowly. "To get home."

Maria started, and Liz just looked at him like she didn't understand. "Home?" she repeated, "like…like **home** home?"

Michael nodded. "As in the home **planet**" he stressed. His eyes dropped to the floor, and then slid over to Maria to gauge her reaction. She was staring off into the distance, and he couldn't tell if she was upset, or just being quiet. He went on. "It's the granilith…that's the key. We've had the way to get home this whole time…all we needed was the granilith. And…and the book." 

"Which Alex provided for you," Liz said with acid in her tone. "Alex may very well have **died** for that information."

Michael's voice was quiet when he answered. "I know," he said. 

Silence fell upon them until Maria finally spoke…her voice detached. "So," she said, "when are you leaving?"

This time it was Liz's turn to be startled. "Leave? Why would they leave right now?"

Maria's laugh was anything but amused. "Why would they stay? What is there to hold them here? This is what they've been waiting for all their lives, Liz…they're not gonna stay." she said. She stopped for a moment, and then looked at Michael for the first time since he'd told them the news. "Are you?" she asked. 

Michael looked back at her, and he knew she could see the truth in his eyes before he even spoke. "No," he said. "We've already decided. We leave in a week."

"A week?!" Liz exploded. "But…that's too soon! You guys haven't even had a chance to read the whole thing yet…you don't even know if it will work…you…."

Michael cut her off. "Look, we don't have a choice, all right? We have to go. It has to be soon."

Liz stopped. "Why?" she asked, genuinely confused. "Why do you all the sudden have to go? Yesterday you guys had no clue the book had been deciphered. Why the rush now?"

Michael took a deep breath. He just **knew** that this was gonna go over well…..not. "It's Max," he said. "He…well Tess…they….." he stuttered, before finally giving up and just blurting it out. "Tess is pregnant." he said. 

Liz stared at him, not understanding, as Maria's gaze flew to her friend. _Oh God,_ she thought…_Liz…_

Liz continued to stare at Michael like she'd never seen him before. "What? Tess is what?"

Michael took another deep breath. "She's pregnant," he said again. "and for some reason, the baby is sick. It's dying. It can't survive here. We have to get it back **now**, or there'll be no chance for it to live."

Maria took her gaze off of her stunned friend for a moment, and looked at Michael. "How do you know that?" she asked.

"Max is able to communicate with it, or something. He can feel that it's dying…he can tell what's wrong with it. He even knows it's a boy."

Liz stared at them both as the truth finally sank in. Tess was pregnant. She was pregnant with **Max's** child. Max and Tess had slept together. Her face crumbled. "Oh God!" she cried. 

Maria jumped forward to support Liz when the petite girl collapsed to the floor of the balcony. A pitiful wail started somewhere within her, rising up and bursting from her throat in a pathetic cry that tore at Maria's heart. 

Michael was startled when Liz collapsed, and jumped forward to help her without thinking. He tried to help Maria pull the moaning girl upright and onto the lounge chair, but Liz broke away from them, sobbing. Michael was surprised again at her strength when she pulled away, and her grief struck a chord in him. He'd known she wasn't going to be happy about it…but he had no idea that she'd get so hysterical over it. As far as he knew, Max and Liz were pretty much at war right now. Why was she so upset? He looked quizzically at Maria, but she was too busy trying to calm Liz to notice. 

"Honey, I know," she said placatingly, trying to get close enough to Liz to hold her, but Liz backed up against the wall and just stood there…shaking her head and sobbing. Maria tried without success to draw Liz into her arms, and could only look at her forlorn friend with pained sympathy. "Babe….Liz please."

Liz cried, her chest heaving with great wracking sobs. "She…she's pregnant. They….he slept with her. Max slept with her."

Maria finally succeeded in pulling Liz to her, and they both fell to the floor of the balcony, Maria rocking Liz back and forth, her arms protectively around her. "I know, Liz…shhh, I know."

Liz trembled, and the words shook as they spilled from her mouth. "All this time I've wanted so much to tell him the truth, but I couldn't…and now, even if I could…it wouldn't make any difference…."

Max froze at Liz's words, senses alert. The truth? The truth about what? What didn't the aliens know? Self preservation and the protection of his friends reared up within him, and he stepped closer to Liz. "What truth?" he asked.

Maria looked up at him distractedly, shaking her head. "It's not important, Michael…just…just leave, okay?"

Michael stared down at Maria, still rocking Liz in her arms and trying to calm her. "Maria," he said. "What truth? What's she hiding?"

Maria blew air out between her lips in exasperation. "Michael!" she snapped. "It has nothing to do with you, I promise. Please, just…trust me. I need you to go right now, I have to take care of her."

Michael saw the sincerity in her eyes, and knew she was telling the truth. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't his business. But damnit, he **had** to know. He knelt down beside them. "I need to know, Maria," he said over the sound of Liz's sobs. "If this is something that can hurt us, I need to know about it." He glanced down at Liz's moaning form, and spoke again. "And…what the hell's going on here, anyway? Liz and Max haven't been together since last year…and we all know that **Liz** was the one who moved on first…to Kyle."

Maria finally snapped at him. "Liz didn't sleep with Kyle!"

Michael's brow furrowed, and he looked at Maria with questions in his eyes. Maria's voice grew resigned and quiet and Liz stilled a bit in her arms. "She didn't sleep with Kyle," she said again. "It was….what Liz had to do. She had to make Max fall out of love with her. She did it for him, and you, and all of us."

Michael stared at her. "What do you mean?"

Maria sighed, and then pulled back a bit in surprise when Liz shifted in her arms. Her face wet with tears, and her hair a mess, Liz spoke quietly, tiredly, as if she'd told the story a hundred times, and she spoke with a broken voice. 

"In the original timeline…Max and I were together. We eloped at nineteen, and we were married for twelve years. Tess felt isolated from the group, and she grew away from you. She eventually left. This…was bad for you guys. Apparently, you're stronger together…the four of you. And when the time came…it turned out that you needed her. I…don't know what happened, exactly…but there was a war. People died…a lot of people." Liz looked up at Michael, and took a deep breath. "Including you…and Isabel. You died in the war."

Michael felt a shiver when she said that, and listened with foreboding as she went on. "The year was 2014… and all was lost. It was decided that Max would try to go back in time and change things…change them so that he and I were never together, and that he and Tess fulfilled their….their destiny together." Liz's eyes closed as she remembered. "And so he came back."

**__**

~*~*~*~*~

~ the present ~

Michael finished speaking, and silence fell again upon the four. Liz fidgeted on the stairs, but peered at Max surreptitiously from beneath her eyelashes...waiting for a move or a word that never came. Max stood stunned on the landing, and Michael watched him closely. He knew that the events of the past year had taken their toll on Max...it seemed like it was one thing after the other, with them. Someone was always chasing them, trying to find them out. Trying to hurt them. And there was the destiny...finding out that he wasn't supposed to be with Liz, whom he loved...but with Tess instead. That he was the supposed leader of a whole nation. And then Liz had slept with Kyle, or so he'd thought...and things had spun out of control from there...tumbling downhill; snowballing into the current situation. Tess pregnant...the baby dying because it couldn't live under the conditions on Earth. Max lost and confused, and angry. Michael hoped that this would restore some small portion of his lost faith.

It was not to be so.

Max turned cold, baleful eyes on Michael. "What good did you think it would do me to know this now?" he bit out. 

Michael actually took a step back from the hostility he sensed seething in Max. He'd never seen him like this. Sure, he'd seen Max mad...seen him angry as hell. But he'd never sensed...._hate_ from him before. Broken words tumbled from his mouth. "I...I thought you should know the truth."

Max's jaw clenched. "What good does the truth do me _now_?"

Michael looked back at his friend, stunned. "I just...didn't want to you leave still believing a lie."

The dark haired boy laughed humorlessly. "But you thought it was okay to lie to me about it up until this point. You thought it was okay to lie to me about helping them in their investigation."

Michael hardened at the bleak, angry tone in Max's voice. "Okay first of all, I didn't know about this whole alternate timeline thing until last week. I didn't tell you because I was hoping Liz would tell you herself. And as far as this Alex thing goes, it paid off. Because of their investigation we got the information we needed about the book. The information that's gonna get us home. Including you and your **queen**, and your - "

The blow came out of nowhere. One moment Michael was yelling at Max, and the next he was flying across the landing, hitting the wall with a _thud_. His feet suddenly couldn't support him, and he found himself on the floor, staring up at Max in bewilderment. Max stood above him, enraged, his hands clenched in fists at his sides. Liz gasped, and Maria started forward...then hesitated at the look in Max's eyes. Her own features hardening, she continued on to Michael's side, placing a hand on his arm. She looked from Michael to Max and back again, and realized that there was some sort of communication going on here. They weren't speaking, but she felt that somewhere, somehow, a line had just been drawn. Some irretrievable moment had just passed, and things would never be the same again. 

Slowly, Michael got to his feet as Max glanced again at Liz, still on the stairs. Her eyes were wide with fear and confusion, but his expression never changed as his gaze swept over her and moved on. It came to rest again on Michael, and his voice was flat when he spoke. "Let's go...we've got a lot to do before nightfall."

Michael looked at the stranger before him who he'd once called 'friend'. He too had felt the communion between them...the unspoken words; the bending of his will to Max's own. And some primitive part of him recognized it as the loyalty he had had for Max in that other life. He knew that his role was to acquiesce...that there was really no other choice. This was the destiny that they had to live out.

Standing tall, Michael leveled his gaze on Max. When he spoke his words were measured; formal. As if he were older than he was, and he had lived more memories than he truly possessed. "You are the king," he said. "I will follow you." 

Maria watched as Max – without another word – turned on his heel and walked out of the diner. Michael stood for a moment staring at the floor, and when he finally looked up at her it was like he didn't know her. Like he was someone else than he'd been only a few minutes before. He made as if to leave, and she spoke his name in a desperate whisper...hoping to God that he wasn't going to leave like this. He turned slowly and looked at them again, and after a moment Maria saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes. A flash as he nodded imperceptibly at her unspoken question. He would come for her tonight...he would come to say goodbye. Whoever he was going to have to be now...he would still come tonight. 

His eyes sliding away from Maria's, he couldn't stop himself from looking at Liz. Tears trailed freely down her face...coursing over her cheeks and falling, one by one, onto her shirt. Her eyes were anguished, and Michael had never seen such an expression of pure pain before.

"I'm sorry," he said feebly...wishing he could undo what he'd done. "I thought...I didn't know he'd react like that. I thought it would make things better. I thought he'd want to know what you did to protect us." Liz shook her head...too wracked with sobs to answer him...but Michael thought he knew the answer himself as he watched her. That person...that **thing** that had just walked out of the Crashdown...it wasn't really Max. It wasn't the same person that Michael had grown up with; wasn't the same person that Liz had fallen in love with. He had been changed. Altered by the past year's events, and Michael wondered if the Max he'd known as his friend was gone for good.

As he looked at Liz he wondered if she was thinking the same thing. But then he registered the loss and mourning on her face, and realized that she'd already known. That she believed that Max was already gone. When her eyes met his he experienced another moment of clarity, and he was finally able to see all that Liz had done...the way the aliens had effected her life, and the way that she had responded. He realized belatedly how much she had actually given up for them. The risks she had taken; the lies she had told; the sacrifices she had made. All for love of Max...and for them all. Finally, and with all pretenses aside, he was able to see that she'd done the things she had because she'd cared for them, and because they were the right things to do.

In that moment, Michael knew that that was just the kind of person she was, and how much he and the others really owed her. Even this trip home...due only to her persistence. And it made him ashamed for the way Max had treated her...as he **himself** had been known to treat her.

And in that moment of clarity, his unspoken feelings were conveyed to Liz, and she smiled a little, painfully through the tears, to show that she understood. She managed to compose herself enough to speak, shakily, and said "Take care of them."

Michael nodded. He understood. With one final glance, he turned and left.

**** **__**


	2. 2014: the starship S ' Ria

Title: The Difference ****

Title: The Difference (pt 2)

****

Takes Place_:_ Immediately after "_Baby, it's you" _ (spoilers up through this episode only)

****

Plot: When the aliens return from their home world, the impact of the sacrifice Liz made 13 years earlier could mean the difference between Earth's salvation….and it's destruction.

****

Written: 05. 31. 01 – 06. 06. 01

****

Feedback: Don't make me beg ; )

****

Obligatory Disclaimer: I don't own 'em…and I don't even want Max anymore, after what they've done to him. Bah!!

****

Note: This fic is in NO way, shape, or form related to my other Roswell fic, "Sacrifices". That one **will** eventually be a trilogy, but this one's totally separate.

**__**

"The Difference"

~ pt. II … 2014 ~

~*~*~*~*~

~ The Starship S 'R ia ~

The sleek ship glided silently through the void. Had there been atmosphere, the wind would have slipped up over the curved bow of the craft, rolling smoothly over and under it, the slipstreams meeting in the ship's tumultuous wake. The friction of the wind against the ship would have slowed it imperceptibly, tugging and pulling gently at its surface, dragging, pulling it back. 

But as it was, there was no air, here. In the far reaches of space, there was no atmosphere to slow the ship, and it delved unhindered into the dark. 

The vastness of space spread out around the tiny ship, surrounding it with its millions of systems, stars, and planets...all millions and millions of light years away. What starlight did reach the vessel was faint, and played feebly over the silver plating that bound the ship together. The vacuum sucked greedily away all trace molecules of bacteria, and small pockets of atmosphere residing on the hull, as a remora to a shark. 

The pressure squeezed the reinforced hull of the battleship, attempting at every juncture and weld to gain access. To get inside and infiltrate...to remove the air found within, and crush the fragile shell.

Unaware and unthinking of the constant battle for dominance that raged in the space around the ship, the people inside carried on with their duties, and looked to the future. Looked forward to the conquest ahead. 

It had been thirteen years since the Royal Four had come home. Thirteen years since the commander and his young bride had returned with the others, and resumed their reign over their people. Their **true** people, who had remained loyal through the dark years, while the Four were gone. For what seemed forever they had waited with longing for the day when they would return, and restore their dying nation to the glory it had once known.

And all of their hopes and dreams had come true. In the decade since Zanav had taken back his rule, their nation had become great again...expanding outward and conquering neighboring systems. Lashing back at the enemies of their people and defeating them...absorbing them into the whole. Spurred on by their leader, the young king who had returned to them from a far off planet, in a distant system, they became a cold and malicious race. Soon every system had become a threat to them, and one by one they were each taken out; taken down. Squeezed of life until there was nothing left but a system to be taken. Another victory. 

The crew looked forward to the coming day when Zanav would lead them in this, their recent and most glorious conquest. Long had the King made plans to take this system, and the day had finally come. They had spent months on this journey, and knew that many might not return. Still, to be placed on this ship, at this time, was a great honor...for the S'Ria was the lead ship of the armada that followed two days behind them. Flag ship of the entire fleet, the King himself was aboard. 

And so the starship cut through the dark emptiness around it, continuing with relentless oblivion on its journey. And all of the minds of the people within the S'Ria looked forward to the day coming; to the next victory. All but one.

The man who had been Michael Guerin stood alone in his cabin, gazing through the small port. It was almost time, he could feel it. He could always tell when a battle was coming. It was part of him now...something inside him that he couldn't ignore, even if he'd wanted to. And he wasn't sure he wanted to. 

He was not the person he'd once been.

None of them were, really. All of them had changed; they'd had to. Away from the only world they'd ever known, each of them had adjusted in their own unique way to the new life that had been thrust upon them. In a way, Michael and Isabel had had it easier than the others. Though they'd never remembered the lives they'd shared together before, it only made sense for them to stick together in this one. Light years away from Earth, on a planet they knew nothing about, immersed in a culture they didn't understand, they held to each other as the last things that reminded them of who they were. Only with Isabel had Michael truly felt real. Only she had really understood. She had shared all of his hopes about going home, and understood all of his reasons for missing the place he had come to **think** of as home. Not like Tess, who had never had any reason to stay on Earth. Not like Max, who was so embittered that he wanted nothing more than to forget it. 

And so Michael and Isabel had formed a bond. They didn't love each other...not the way they were supposed to, as husband and wife...but the memories of the planet and the people they'd left behind joined them in an alliance they clung to. It was a survival instinct. Together, they had maintained a little pocket of humanity between them, and were thus never truly alone. 

The same could not be said for Max and Tess. All of the experts of their world had been called to care for Tess, and the child she carried...but in the end there was nothing they could do. They had stayed too long on Earth...too much had interrupted the embryo's development, and the child was lost. Tess had grieved, and Michael knew that in a way, she still felt that if the baby had been born things would have worked out differently between her and Max. Privately, Michael doubted it. Max Evans was gone....he'd been gone for a long time; before they'd left Earth, even. In his place was a cold and unfeeling ruler. A leader of his people; a conqueror. Whatever shred of humanity had survived in him to reach their planet had died with his unborn son, leaving a shell of a man in its place. No....Max was gone. All that was left was Zanav, King and Commander. 

In the utter silence of his cabin, the man who had been Michael Guerin reflected on all that they had been…what they had become, and what they were headed for. 

Though most of the people on the S'Ria would not have noticed, he could feel the faint trembling of the deck plates beneath his boots as the engines labored. For a moment he thought he could feel the ship move, and he stumbled slightly, suddenly queasy. His lips twitched in a shadow of amusement, as he was struck again by the irony: He, sub-Commander Rathier, destined second-in-command of King Zanav, was susceptible to animation sickness. They had come out of suspended animation less than a day ago; awoken by the computer as they'd neared their target. The effects were not strong, and only effected about five percent of the total space-faring population, but lasted for a day or so after awakening. 

His smile faded as he remembered the first time he'd come out of the sleep, on that first journey to their planet, from Earth. They'd stumbled out of their chambers, disoriented, confused, and afraid. Not knowing what was going to happen. He remembered feeling naseated, and hung over from the reanimation process, and thinking immediately of Maria...knowing that months had passed for her since he'd left, while he'd only experienced a few days. He'd wondered where she was, what she was doing, and felt sick at having had to leave her. In that moment he'd wanted nothing more than to return to Earth, return to Maria, and forget all about this destiny crap that he wasn't ready for.

But he hadn't gone back, he couldn't. For better or worse, they had come home and had to accept the fate that awaited them. Tess had no trouble accepting her name, Avaryn. Had no difficulty in accepting the life she'd been destined for, as queen of their people. Max had thrown himself into his new role as Zanav, desperately hoping to forget about his human life, and all that he'd left behind. Isabel had had it much harder. Forced to reconcile with the part of herself that had betrayed her brother and race to the skins, she'd had no choice but to accept her hated name; Vilandra. 

Michael...._Rathier_...had gone on to lead the King's armed forces. And to his surprise, he'd found himself good at it. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised at his successes...victory had been programmed into him, after all. And at first it hadn't been all that bad. Be the second in command, control the fleet. Kinda fun, actually. Until Zanav had started leading them on conquests. Until things started getting bloody.

No....Max Evans was gone. In his place was a heartless killer. Hateful of the fate that had been assigned him, and embittered over what might have been, he had grown into a cold, unfeeling man. And that man had gone on to lead his people into war. His ruthlessness knew no bounds, and Rathier was merely an instrument, albeit an effective one. Over the years Rathier had become accustomed to the bloodshed, and the violence, and the constant warring. And he had never argued with his King over the rightness or wrongness of what they were doing. But in his innermost thoughts, it saddened him. A part of him still remembered the way things had been, and also the way things **would** have been. 

What would he have done, that other Max, if he'd known how the altered history would be? Would he still have gone back in time to Liz and for help in changing the future? Would he have traded that future for this one, if he knew what he would become? Or would he look with horror upon what had happened to them all, and decide that the original timeline should remain unaltered? Lately these kinds of thoughts had plagued Rathier. He tried to ignore them, but the circumstances of the past few months had forced the issue back into his mind. Had reminded him of his past, and put thoughts of Earth back in his head. And with thoughts of Earth, as always, came thoughts of Maria. He thought of her...not for the first, or even for the thousandth time. He still wondered how she was. Where she had gone; what she had done with her life. Surely she wasn't still in Roswell, New Mexico. He remembered a cheesy motel room alongside a highway; a conversation about a better life. No, he knew that Maria would be long gone from Roswell. 

It was a small step from thinking of Maria to thinking of Liz. He wondered about her, too. If she'd gone on to be a scientist as they'd always thought…if she knew how much of an effect she'd had on an alien king, who would go on to impact an entire race of people, a galaxy away? He wondered if she remembered that this was the year in which Michael and Isabel had died, in that other timeline? That this was the year Max had come back from to solicit her help to change the future? Did she wonder, as he did, what would have happened if she'd refused to help? Or tried to find some other way?

Did she know that it was because of _her_ that he was so troubled over their latest mission?

He hadn't liked the bloodshed…he hadn't liked the violence. He didn't like taking whole systems by force, resulting in death and suffering on all the planets within it. But he was good at it. And really, he had no choice. This was his destiny. And he had never let his conscience stop him from carrying out an order. But now…

He didn't know how he was going to be able to give the order to attack Earth.

**__**

~*~*~*~*~

~ Earth: The Granilith ~

Liz Parker pocketed her car keys as she stepped out onto the dust and gravel floor of the quarry. Letting the door swing shut, she moved away from the car and started on the path up to the granilith. She wasn't worried about getting in…the stone wall that had separated the granilith chamber from the outside world had been pulverized the day the aliens left, and Liz knew from thirteen years' worth of experience that she would remember the way. 

As she made her way up through the rocky terrain, she wondered again what it was that drew her back to this place, year after year. Things would never be the same…she knew that. And knowing that, she had tried not to let the events in Roswell, New Mexico affect the rest of her life. But there was still something within her that reached out for the stars…wondered what had happened to them. She knew she would always feel this way. 

She didn't think that they would ever come back, but something made her think that it wasn't over. That there was still more to come. 

And so every year on the anniversary of their departure she'd come back to Roswell and made the trek to the granilith. Within, she waited for….something. She wasn't sure what…but she felt like she had to be there. 

**__**

~*~*~*~*~

~ The Starship S 'R ia ~

As Rathier made his way to the king's chambers, he tried to work himself up for the confrontation that he knew was coming. Zanav wouldn't like to be questioned, especially about **this** planet. But Rathier knew that he couldn't just stand by and let it happen. He had to at least **try** to stop him. 

__

Vilandra stood motionless, shock and fear apparent in her expression at Rathier's revelation. Her mouth worked a moment before she was finally able to speak. "Oh my God…Michael!", she said in English, " He can't do it! You can't let him!"

Rathier cursed and grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her off the widely traveled garden path and into a grove of T'halia trees. It was their season, and the purple blossoms that grew from them each year filled the air with a pungent musk that enveloped them as he drew her further away from where people might be able to hear his wife speak a language that they were never supposed to use…call him by a name that was forbidden to them. "Would you keep it down?!" he whispered fiercely. "Do you want someone to hear you? You know better!"

Vilandra stumbled after him, too distraught by what he'd just told her to worry about the eyes and ears of the Palace gardeners. She clutched at him, but tried for his sake to keep her voice down. "Michael, you can't let him attack Earth!" she said desperately.

"And you would have me do what, disobey a direct order?" he shot back. He ran a hand through his hair distractedly…he'd come to tell her as soon as he'd found out…he was still shocked, himself**.** Though if he were to be completely honest with himself…something inside him had known this day was coming. Something within had known over the past thirteen years that Zanav would have to go back there some day. Go back and destroy it. 

Vilandra panted as they finally stopped pulling back into the grove, and stopped in a small clearing. She pulled away from her husband and stared at him, her expression hard. "If you have to!" she said. "What other choice is there? You can't do it. **He** can't do it!"

Rathier tried to calm her. "Vilandra, you know…" He stopped when he saw her expression harden. Clearly, now was not the time to follow Antar's rules about forgetting their lives on Earth. He started over. "**Isabel**, you know how he is. What he's become. And like it or not, he's our king. We are **obligated** to follow his rule. We have no choice."

She stared back at him, tears beginning to build in her eyes. "How can you even think it, Michael? My **parents** are there! Maria is there…and Liz, and Kyle, and Valenti. And millions of other innocent people. How can you **possibly** justify their deaths?!"

Rathier shut his eyes at Maria's name. Vilandra had known it would affect him, and it did. Both of them had their regrets when it came to the people of Earth, and **his** regret was having to leave Maria behind. Having to give her up without even having ever told her that he loved her. Vilandra knew that. She continued.

"And they **will** die, Michael. They won't have a chance. He'll take Earth just like he's taken every other system between us and them, and they'll all die. We can't let him do that. They don't deserve…" She broke off as the tears threatened to overwhelm her, and spent a moment composing herself. "We owe them too much to allow this to happen."

Rathier opened his eyes, and looked at his wife. She was openly crying now, and he knew that that said something too. Normally, she was unflappable. He'd seen her negotiate affairs of the state without batting an eyelash, performing with amazing calm under pressure. But this…this one world, had her in a state seldom seen. 

"I know," he said.

Arriving at Zanav's Chambers, he paused a moment before entering. He took a deep breath, and self-consciously patted his uniform straight; running his hand through his hair at the last moment in a gesture of nervousness. As the sensor above the entryway noted his presence and parted the doors before him, Rathier took a deep breath and crossed the threshhold. The doors allowed him to pass through, and then hissed quietly behind him, shutting him in.

**__**

* author's note * : okay….it might be a couple days before I get part 3 of 3 up…I have two possible endings to this fic, and I'm not sure which one I wanna use yet. Won't be more than a couple days 'till the end's up though. Thanks for reading and reviewing : )

**__**


	3. 2014: Countdown

Title: The Difference ****

Title: The Difference (pt 3)

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Takes Place_:_ Immediately after "_Baby, it's you" _ (spoilers up through this episode only)

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Plot: When the aliens return from their home world, the impact of the sacrifice Liz made 13 years earlier could mean the difference between Earth's salvation….and it's destruction.

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Written: 06. 07. 01

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Feedback: Don't make me beg ; )

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Obligatory Disclaimer: I don't own 'em…and I don't even want Max anymore, after what they've done to him. Bah!!

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Note: This fic is in NO way, shape, or form related to my other Roswell fic, "Sacrifices". That one **will** eventually be a trilogy, but this one's totally separate.

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* author's note * : okay, remember how I said I had two different versions to the end of this fic, and I couldn't decide which one I wanted to do? Well...I still can't decide. So **this** chapter is going to be the original ending, part 3 of 3. Within the next couple days, I'll post the alternative ending, and you guys can tell me which one you like better. Enjoy : ) (oh, p .s….sorry about the bumped up rating…but I had to give it a higher one after everything that goes down in this chapter ;)

**__**

"The Difference"

~ pt. 3 … 2014 ~

~*~*~*~*~

~ The Starship S 'R ia ~

As the doors hissed shut behind him, Rathier drew up short at the view that awaited him. 

The king's chambers had what no other cabin aboard the S'Ria did...wide windows that ran the full length of the room, from ceiling to floor. Having approved the specs for this and all other warships built for the past ten years, Rathier knew that there was extra shielding in this area to make up for the vulnerability of reinforced glass, instead of steel. He'd tried numerous times to talk Zanav out of the luxury, but the kind was dead set on being able to see what was ahead of them, and refused to allow for the more practical nature of small ports. And at this moment, Rathier envied him the view.

Taking up the whole of the view afforded through the windows was Earth. Blue and green and white, it filled the room with its enormity. Framed at the center of the globe was Zanav. He stood facing the planet, his back to Rathier, and contemplated his objective. Hearing Rathier enter, Zanav turned and his lips curved into a cruel smile. It was a smile, yes, but there was no warmth in it, and it didn't reach his eyes. Rathier felt the chill in the greeting, but nodded a greeting at the king, and Zanav turned back to gaze once more at Earth.

"There it is," Zanav said musingly. "The source of everything. The planet we've worked for years to get to." He raised one hand up to the window in front of him, and touched it lightly, as if he could almost feel Earth within his grasp. Almost as an afterthought he said "Hard to believe that by the end of the day it will be rubble."

Rathier took a deep breath as he realized this was it. For the first time in thirteen years he was going to go against what he knew his king wanted. Readying himself for the confrontation, he gathered his wits and at last spoke. "And will it be done, then?" he asked. "Will it be over?"

Zanav turned back to his general in surprise, and a hint of anger. His tone was warning when he spoke. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"This war," Rathier replied. "This vendetta. If you destroy Earth, will it destroy the hate inside you? Will you finally be able to rest, then?"

Zanav's expression was cold as he turned his back on Rathier and gazed again at the planet almost within his reach. He would feel only relief, not remorse, at its destruction. "It's never over." he said to himself. 

**__**

~*~*~*~*~

~ Earth: The Granilith ~

~*~*~*~*~

Liz entered the granilith chamber and stepped carefully around the rubble on the floor, making her way to the console at the center of the room. She wondered again about the specifics of the aliens' departure…about how they'd been transported to their world. What had they left in? She could detect no parts missing from the structure. Perhaps there had been more to the granilith than that which could be seen by the naked eye? Something deeper than the chamber she stood in…some sort of sub-structure? Or beyond it…on the other side of the hill?

In any case, they were gone. That much was fact. And from looking around, she could tell that no one but she had visited this room in at least a decade. A thick layer of dust covered the floor and the instrumentation in front of her. Stirred up from her passage, it thickened the air around her. 

From the console rose the vertical column that was the center of the granilith. It extended up from the floor and met the ceiling in a snarl of cables and wires; thick piping snaking out around it, reaching back further into the hidden depths of the machine. As with every one of her treks here, she noted the lack of use apparent in the machinery. The darkened and disused displays. The sense of abandonment that filled the chamber.

Liz shrugged off her jacket and draped it gently over a corner of the console, her fingers staying to play lightly over the surface. She started to bring her hand back to her lips to blow away the dust, but a faint tremble in the metal beneath her fingertips gave her pause, and she placed her hand fully against it. Yes…there was a sensation…a hum, almost. The same feeling she would get from placing her hand on the running modem of a computer.

With a jolt, Liz realized that that's just what this was. The granilith was a machine…a computer, albeit a highly advanced one. And it was running.

A sudden clanging noise made Liz gasp and snatch her hand back as the chamber abruptly came to life around her. The overhead lights blazed on, suddenly, and long darkened displays lit up in greens and blues. The walls around her thrummed as the machinery behind them began to work again, and even the relatively quiet hum that permeated the chamber was loud in her ears after the dead silence only a moment before. 

Trying to force her heart to stop racing, Liz's eyes narrowed as she a faint glow originating from the column that rose from the console. Within, something swirled and began to take form.

She stepped closer for a better look.

**__**

~*~*~*~*~

~ The Starship S 'R ia ~

**__**

~*~*~*~*~

**__**

Rathier tensely watched as Zanav activated the granilith. Each moment drew the king closer to arming the explosive device within it, but Rathier had thus far been unable to force himself to speak further against the process. A sense of dread was building inside him…mounting with each switch Zanav threw; each system he readied. Over the king's shoulder, Rathier could see the readouts on the granilith's power source flash green along the oversized viewscreen along one wall. All systems were go. The time was nearing.

This planet Zanav wasn't even going to try to capture. This was out and out destruction. He wanted it obliterated. And the first step in the war would leave a crater in the place where New Mexico used to be. 

Rathier knew that that pleased Zanav. That the granilith, left inert for so long in the depths of that mountain, would be the device he'd use to carry out his plan. That the first step in destroying Earth would first destroy the very place they'd grown up. Roswell would be gone in a moment, and from there the end would be swift. Earth had nothing in the way of defense. They still didn't even know there was extra terrestrial life. They would be helpless to defend themselves. 

Suddenly all Rathier could think about was Liz. He imagined her in a lab somewhere, looking through a microscope. Trying to learn more about the world in order to help it. As she'd always tried to understand and help them. And this was the fruit of her labor. For saving them, saving their **lives** even, Zanav would destroy her, and her whole world. And abruptly Rathier knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he couldn't let this happen. Earth didn't deserve this…no one did. He had to stop this. 

He stepped closer to Zanav, who was still working at the console. The king checked the viewscreen on the wall occasionally to make certain the readouts were normal before he continued. Rathier saw that there were only a few more sequences to go before the explosive was armed. Coming around the console, he broke every custom and law of their planet and grasped Zanav around the arm. "Stop this." he said in English.

Zanav looked up, shocked at the breach of protocol. "Take your hand off me!" 

Rathier did so, but didn't move away. "Stop this, Zanav. You don't have to do it. It's not too late." He hovered next to the king, hoping against hope that Zanav would listen to reason, but knowing in his heart that it wasn't likely. 

Zanav finally overcame his shock and his eyes narrowed as Rathier's words – and his use of English – finally registered. "How dare you?" he hissed, anger quickly overtaking his features. 

Rathier pressed on. "Come on, man…use English. You're gonna destroy their planet, you should at least be able to speak their language. It's half our language too, you know…or have you finally managed to make yourself forget that part?"

"Stand down, General," Zanav ordered coldy, deadly warning in his voice. "Stand down now, or I will **put** you down."

Rathier realized the threat in that sentence, but knew he had no real choice, now. He had to go on. "Yeah," he said quietly. "You're gonna have to kill me, Maxwell…because if you let me live I'm not gonna let you do this."

Zanav had started forward, but the sound of his former name stopped him cold. He was shaken, Rathier could tell. Interpreting it as a good sign, he tried to press his case. "Come on, Max," he said, stepping closer to the console, and the little green button on it that would delete the whole process. "It's not too late. Just…step away from the console."

Zanav made no move to step away. His voice was low and conniving, and it was in English when he spoke. "Why would you do this? Why would you throw everything away for this one planet?" he said. "The deaths of millions of people have never stopped you before."

Rathier winced at the truth of that statement. "I know," he said, "but I regret every one. And it's time to stop it. You are my King, and I have followed you…but I can't let you do this, Max. I can't let you destroy her…destroy this planet, just to stop the pain inside you. They don't deserve this. And I have nothing to lose."

Zanav was incredulous. "Your career means nothing? Your people mean nothing? Your wife – "

"Isabel wants this to end too." Rathier interrupted. He watched as Zanav absorbed this information, and could almost see his thought process as he filed it away for future reference before turning back to the problem at hand. Afraid suddenly that he would fail, and Zanav would return to Antar to punish Vilandra, Rathier took another step toward the king. He had to get him off guard. "Do you think I don't know what this is really about?" he asked. "Do you think I don't realize that this is all a way to get back at Liz? To get back at fate in general for screwing you over?"

Rathier could not have imagined how much of an impact her name would be on Zanav. The king's eyes widened in rage, and his lips curled back in a snarl. His whole face was a rictus of fury. With a wordless cry, he leapt at Rathier, pulling from his uniform a dagger that the general hadn't known he carried. He suddenly realized that Zanav hadn't been listening, he'd merely been waiting until he came close enough to spring. 

He was on him in a moment, and Rathier barely got his hand up in time to block a fatal thrust of the blade. They wrestled for a moment at the console before Zanav managed to shove him away hard enough that the general landed on the deck, sliding several feet before fetching up against the bulkhead. Whirling quickly to the console, Zanav 

committed the final sequence, and a large yellow light above the viewscreen behind him flashed. The device was armed. 

Rathier had immediately shot to his feet, but before he'd closed the distance to Zanav he saw the light…knew what it meant. They had two minutes until the granilith self-destructed. A small beep accompanied each flash, which Rathier knew would speed up as it got closer to detonating. Warily, he stepped toward Zanav. The king watched him come, grinning maniacally, and waving his dagger in a "bring it on" gesture. As Rathier approached, however, all of the expression suddenly leeched out of Zanav's face, and he stared with disbelief over Rathier's shoulder at the viewscreen.

Rathier turned his head slightly to the side and caught the screen in the corner of his eye. There was someone on it…not a readout, but an image. Of a person. A familiar person. Rathier turned more fully and finally realized who it was. Liz.

Older, as they both were, but it was her; no doubt. She stood in the granilith chamber, and Rathier absently noted the dust and rubble and other debris around her. 

Liz's startled brown eyes stared back at them through the viewscreen, widening with shock as she realized who she was seeing, and Rathier blanched. God, what was she doing there? When the granilith went she'd be wiped out in an instant. There was no way she'd clear the blast radius in time. He had to stop it…he had to stop the timer. 

Turning on his heel he sprinted back toward the console. Zanav was still fixated on the image on the viewscreen, and was taken off guard as Rathier slammed into him. They both hit the console and flipped over it, landing on the deck on the other side. As they hit the floor Rathier grappled for the upper hand, but he had no leverage. The dagger, where was the dagger? He elbowed Zanav to the face, and then crawled out from around the console, but the king got up and ran after him, tackling him to the floor again.

Zanav managed to pin him to the deck for a moment, and delivered a couple of powerful punches to his face. As Rathier was trying to protect his head, he suddenly felt a sliver of cold steel against his belly. His wild eyes sought out Zanav's, but the king's were merciless as the blade cut into him. Rathier cried out in pain as his one-time friend jerked the blade across his abdomen, seeking to spill his guts out onto the deck. 

Rathier nearly screamed from the pain, and ceased in his struggles. For a moment there was silence other than the heavy breathing from both men, and the beeping, which was getting steadily faster as the counter neared its mark. _How much time left?_ Rathier wondered. _There can't be much…._ He looked up at Zanav's face helplessly, and was startled at the expression he saw there. 

Zanav looked resigned. Tired…but also…sorry. Sorry for having probably killed his general? Sorry for arming the granilith? Sorry that Rathier had failed against him? "Why, Michael?" he asked…finally using his old friend's name. "You were always the one who wanted to leave the most. Why did you fight so hard now to save them now?"

Rathier gasped beneath Zanav, feeling warm all the sudden and realizing that it was because he was lying in a spreading pool of blood. His breath was erratic as he replied. "I'm not…the person I used to be."

Zanav nodded as he realized the truth of this. His face looked almost regretful as he glanced at the viewscreen…at Liz's horrified face; her screams unheard over the image-only transmission…and then back to Rathier. "Neither am I," he said. "Max is gone."

Rathier heard the beeping grow faster behind him somewhere…faster. How much time left? Twenty seconds? Less? He looked back up at Zanav. "It's too bad," he said, reaching under his tunic, "He was a good guy, before his "destiny" got hold of him." 

He paused a moment, looking into Zanav's eyes, and thought he saw a hint of Max there…somewhere. But it wasn't enough. And there wasn't enough time.

"I'll miss him," Rathier said. And just as Zanav's brow furrowed in confusion, Rathier drove his **own** dagger into his king, his one time friend, and watched his eyes glaze over with pain and betrayal as the life left his body. 

__

Don't think right now…don't think, just do. There's no time. Rathier pushed the lifeless body off of him, and tuned onto his side, trying desperately to get up. He slipped once on the blood on the floor, and almost tumbled to the deck again. Finally managing to get to his knees beside the console, he used it to lever himself up, and leaned on it as he walked around to the operations center. 

The beep had become a steady drone behind him, and he was too afraid to look at the counter to see how much time was left. Without a second thought he depressed the button that would disrupt the sequence sent to the granilith, and the tone behind him suddenly stopped. Rathier closed his eyes. 

Was he on time, or did it stop because the granilith had blown up? 

Trembling, bleeding freely from the wound to his abdomen, Rathier turned around. 

And saw her.

Alive. She was alive. He'd been in time. 

Rathier's knees went weak from relief, and he fell to them hard on the unyielding metal deck; one hand clasped across his middle, stanching the flow of blood. He met her eyes and was shocked when he saw the comprehension and pain in them. She knew…somehow…she knew what had been going to happen, and that it was because of him that it hadn't. He could see the understanding and gratitude in her face. At that moment he knew that his memory of her was **not** something he'd built up over time…they really did owe her the things he thought they had, and he realized just what kind of a person she was. And any regrets he might have had about what he'd done were suddenly gone. He'd made the right choice.

And as they stared at each other across space, there was a long moment when it seemed like no words were necessary at all, and yet they understood each other perfectly. _Thank you,_ her eyes said. He nodded to her once, in respect for all that he learned from her, and he hoped that his own eyes were enough to convey all that he felt to her. That he'd never wanted to become this, but felt swept along by it all. That he was sorry for the way Max had treated her back on Earth, for the way he **himself **had once treated her. That he hoped she would continue to go on and do good for all life. But mostly, he hoped she knew that it was because of her that he'd stopped Zanav. 

It was the thought of her…and the memory of what she'd been for them, and all she'd done to help them, that had stayed with him all these years. That enabled him to realize that the person he'd become was not right…was not who he should be. The difference she had made in his life was what had made him stand up to Zanav and alter the course of what might have been. He hoped that she knew she was the woman who had changed the destiny of two planets.

And in that moment…that moment that seemed to last forever…he knew she understood. 

__ **__**

~*~*~*~*~

~ Earth: The Granilith ~

~*~*~*~*~

Liz reached out a hand involuntarily as Michael's image faded from the column before her, and then drew it back again as the column went black. She stepped back from the column as suddenly all of the lights started going out on it, and she could hear the sound of machines powering down. The hum that had filled the chamber when the computers had come back to life faded down again, and silence filled the room. Lastly the overhead lights shut off, and Liz realized that Michael was cutting the power to the granilith by way of the console she'd seen on their ship. The room plunged into comparative darkness, and several moments passed as her eyes became adjusted to the lack of light. 

Abruptly she realized that her face was wet…she'd been crying. Had she started when Max had died? Or when she belatedly realized what he'd been trying to do? 

Or maybe it hadn't been until she saw how much Michael had gone through to save them? 

She absently ran the back of her hand across her cheeks to wipe away the tears, picked up her jacket and stumbled toward the exit. And when she left she knew that this would be the last time she would ever come back here. Thirteen years worth of questions had just been answered. She knew now that this chapter of her life was over, and that she could finally let go. 

~ FIN ~


	4. 2014: Hope (alternate ending)

Rathier suddenly felt a sliver of cold steel against his belly ****

Title: The Difference (pt 3 – alternate ending)

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Takes Place_:_ Immediately after "_Baby, it's you" _(spoilers up through this episode only)

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Plot: When the aliens return from their home world, the impact of the sacrifice Liz made 13 years earlier could mean the difference between Earth's salvation….and it's destruction.

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Written: 09. 09. 01

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Feedback: Don't make me beg ; )

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Obligatory Disclaimer: I don't own 'em…and I don't even want Max anymore, after what they've done to him. Bah!!

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Note: This fic is in NO way, shape, or form related to my other Roswell fic, "Sacrifices". That one **will** eventually be a trilogy, but this one's totally separate.

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* author's note *
_** : okay, remember how I said I had two different versions to the end of this fic, and I couldn't decide which one I wanted to do? Well...I still can't decide. I went ahead and wrote the original ending to finish the fanfic; what follows is the alternate ending idea that popped into my head before finishing this story (and took me forever to get around to writing!) I've placed a " ////*\\\\" where it starts to deviate from the original version for your reference. Lemme know which ending you like better ;) **** ****

"The Difference"

~ alternate pt. 3 … 2014 ~

~*~*~*~*~

~ The Starship S 'R ia ~

As the doors hissed shut behind him, Rathier drew up short at the view that awaited him. 

The king's chambers had what no other cabin aboard the S'Ria did...wide windows that ran the full length of the room, from ceiling to floor. Having approved the specs for this and all other warships built for the past ten years, Rathier knew that there was extra shielding in this area to make up for the vulnerability of reinforced glass, instead of steel. He'd tried numerous times to talk Zanav out of the luxury, but the kind was dead set on being able to see what was ahead of them, and refused to allow for the more practical nature of small ports. And at this moment, Rathier envied him the view.

Taking up the whole of the view afforded through the windows was Earth. Blue and green and white, it filled the room with its enormity. Framed at the center of the globe was Zanav. He stood facing the planet, his back to Rathier, and contemplated his objective. Hearing Rathier enter, Zanav turned and his lips curved into a cruel smile. It was a smile, yes, but there was no warmth in it, and it didn't reach his eyes. Rathier felt the chill in the greeting, but nodded a greeting at the king, and Zanav turned back to gaze once more at Earth.

"There it is," Zanav said musingly. "The source of everything. The planet we've worked for years to get to." He raised one hand up to the window in front of him, and touched it lightly, as if he could almost feel Earth within his grasp. Almost as an afterthought he said "Hard to believe that by the end of the day it will be rubble."

Rathier took a deep breath as he realized this was it. For the first time in thirteen years he was going to go against what he knew his king wanted. Readying himself for the confrontation, he gathered his wits and at last spoke. "And will it be done, then?" he asked. "Will it be over?"

Zanav turned back to his general in surprise, and a hint of anger. His tone was warning when he spoke. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"This war," Rathier replied. "This vendetta. If you destroy Earth, will it destroy the hate inside you? Will you finally be able to rest, then?"

Zanav's expression was cold as he turned his back on Rathier and gazed again at the planet almost within his reach. He would feel only relief, not remorse, at its destruction. "It's never over." he said to himself. 

**__**

~*~*~*~*~

~ Earth: The Granilith ~

~*~*~*~*~

Liz entered the granilith chamber and stepped carefully around the rubble on the floor, making her way to the console at the center of the room. She wondered again about the specifics of the aliens' departure…about how they'd been transported to their world. What had they left in? She could detect no parts missing from the structure. Perhaps there had been more to the granilith than that which could be seen by the naked eye? Something deeper than the chamber she stood in…some sort of sub-structure? Or beyond it…on the other side of the hill?

In any case, they were gone. That much was fact. And from looking around, she could tell that no one but she had visited this room in at least a decade. A thick layer of dust covered the floor and the instrumentation in front of her. Stirred up from her passage, it thickened the air around her. 

From the console rose the vertical column that was the center of the granilith. It extended up from the floor and met the ceiling in a snarl of cables and wires; thick piping snaking out around it, reaching back further into the hidden depths of the machine. As with every one of her treks here, she noted the lack of use apparent in the machinery. The darkened and disused displays. The sense of abandonment that filled the chamber.

Liz shrugged off her jacket and draped it gently over a corner of the console, her fingers staying to play lightly over the surface. She started to bring her hand back to her lips to blow away the dust, but a faint tremble in the metal beneath her fingertips gave her pause, and she placed her hand fully against it. Yes…there was a sensation…a hum, almost. The same feeling she would get from placing her hand on the running modem of a computer.

With a jolt, Liz realized that that's just what this was. The granilith was a machine…a computer, albeit a highly advanced one. And it was running.

A sudden clanging noise made Liz gasp and snatch her hand back as the chamber abruptly came to life around her. The overhead lights blazed on, suddenly, and long darkened displays lit up in greens and blues. The walls around her thrummed as the machinery behind them began to work again, and even the relatively quiet hum that permeated the chamber was loud in her ears after the dead silence only a moment before. 

Trying to force her heart to stop racing, Liz's eyes narrowed as she a faint glow originating from the column that rose from the console. Within, something swirled and began to take form.

She stepped closer for a better look.

**__**

~*~*~*~*~

~ The Starship S 'R ia ~

~*~*~*~*~

Rathier tensely watched as Zanav activated the granilith. Each moment drew the king closer to arming the explosive device within it, but Rathier had thus far been unable to force himself to speak further against the process. A sense of dread was building inside him…mounting with each switch Zanav threw; each system he readied. Over the king's shoulder, Rathier could see the readouts on the granilith's power source flash green along the oversized view screen along one wall. All systems were go. The time was nearing.

This planet Zanav wasn't even going to try to capture. This was out and out destruction. He wanted it obliterated. And the first step in the war would leave a crater in the place where New Mexico used to be. 

Rathier knew that that pleased Zanav. That the granilith, left inert for so long in the depths of that mountain, would be the device he'd use to carry out his plan. That the first step in destroying Earth would first destroy the very place they'd grown up. Roswell would be gone in a moment, and from there the end would be swift. Earth had nothing in the way of defense. They still didn't even know there was extra terrestrial life. They would be helpless to defend themselves. 

Suddenly all Rathier could think about was Liz. He imagined her in a lab somewhere, looking through a microscope. Trying to learn more about the world in order to help it. As she'd always tried to understand and help them. And this was the fruit of her labor. For saving them, saving their **lives** even, Zanav would destroy her, and her whole world. And abruptly Rathier knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he couldn't let this happen. Earth didn't deserve this…no one did. He had to stop this. 

He stepped closer to Zanav, who was still working at the console. The king checked the view screen on the wall occasionally to make certain the readouts were normal before he continued. Rathier saw that there were only a few more sequences to go before the explosive was armed. Coming around the console, he broke every custom and law of their planet and grasped Zanav around the arm. "Stop this." he said in English.

Zanav looked up, shocked at the breach of protocol. "Take your hand off me!" 

Rathier did so, but didn't move away. "Stop this, Zanav. You don't have to do it. It's not too late." He hovered next to the king, hoping against hope that Zanav would listen to reason, but knowing in his heart that it wasn't likely. 

Zanav finally overcame his shock and his eyes narrowed as Rathier's words – and his use of English – finally registered. "How dare you?" he hissed, anger quickly overtaking his features. 

Rathier pressed on. "Come on, man…use English. You're gonna destroy their planet, you should at least be able to speak their language. It's half our language too, you know…or have you finally managed to make yourself forget that part?"

"Stand down, General," Zanav ordered coldy, deadly warning in his voice. "Stand down now, or I will **put** you down."

Rathier realized the threat in that sentence, but knew he had no real choice, now. He had to go on. "Yeah," he said quietly. "You're gonna have to kill me, Maxwell…because if you let me live I'm not gonna let you do this."

Zanav had started forward, but the sound of his former name stopped him cold. He was shaken, Rathier could tell. Interpreting it as a good sign, he tried to press his case. "Come on, Max," he said, stepping closer to the console, and the little green button on it that would delete the whole process. "It's not too late. Just…step away from the console."

Zanav made no move to step away. His voice was low and conniving, and he spoke in English for the first time in over a decade The strange syllables rolled around in his mouth like stones. "Why would you do this? Why would you throw everything away for this one planet?" he said. "The deaths of millions of people have never stopped you before."

Rathier winced at the truth of that statement. "I know," he said, "and I regret every one. And it's time to stop it. You are my King, and I have followed you…but I can't let you do this, Max. I can't let you destroy her…destroy this planet, just to stop the pain inside you. They don't deserve this. And I have nothing to lose."

Zanav was incredulous. "Your career means nothing? Your people mean nothing? Your wife – "

"Isabel wants this to end too." Rathier interrupted. He watched as Zanav absorbed this information, and could almost see his thought process as he filed it away for future reference before turning back to the problem at hand. Afraid suddenly that he would fail, and Zanav would return to Antar to punish Vilandra, Rathier took another step toward the king. He had to get him off guard. "Do you think I don't know what this is really about?" he asked. "Do you think I don't realize that this is all a way to get back at Liz? To get back at fate in general for screwing you over?"

Rathier could not have imagined how much of an impact her name would be on Zanav. The king's eyes widened in rage, and his lips curled back in a snarl. His whole face was a rictus of fury. With a wordless cry, he leapt at Rathier, pulling from his uniform a dagger that the general hadn't known he carried. He suddenly realized that Zanav hadn't been listening, he'd merely been waiting until he came close enough to spring. 

He was on him in a moment, and Rathier barely got his hand up in time to block a fatal thrust of the blade. They wrestled for a moment at the console before Zanav managed to shove him away hard enough that the general landed on the deck, sliding several feet before fetching up against the bulkhead. Whirling quickly to the console, Zanav committed the final sequence, and a large yellow light above the view screen behind him flashed. The device was armed. 

///*\\\

Rathier had immediately shot to his feet, but before he'd closed the distance to Zanav he saw the light…knew what it meant. They had ten minutes until the granilith self-destructed, and there was nothing he could do from here; he had to get down to the granilith itself to stop the detonation sequence. But first…he had to get past Zanav.

As the console emitted a steady countdown beep, he warily stepped toward Zanav. The king watched him come, grinning maniacally, and waving his dagger in a "bring it on" gesture. As Rathier approached, however, all of the expression suddenly leeched out of Zanav's face, and he stared with disbelief over Rathier's shoulder at the view screen.

Rathier turned his head slightly to the side and caught the screen in the corner of his eye. There was someone on it…not a readout, but an image. Of a person. A familiar person. Rathier turned more fully and finally realized who it was. Liz.

Older, as they both were, but it was her; no doubt. She stood in the granilith chamber, and Rathier absently noted the dust and rubble and other debris around her. 

Liz's startled brown eyes stared back at them through the view screen, widening with shock as she realized who she was seeing, and Rathier blanched. God, what was she doing there? When the granilith went she'd be wiped out in an instant. There was no way she'd clear the blast radius in time. He had to stop it…he had to get down there and stop the timer. 

Turning on his heel he sprinted back toward the console. Zanav was still fixated on the image on the view screen, and was taken off guard as Rathier slammed into him. They both hit the console and flipped over it, landing on the deck on the other side. As they hit the floor Rathier grappled for the upper hand, but he had no leverage. The dagger, where was the dagger? He elbowed Zanav in the face, and then crawled out from around the console, but the king got up and ran after him, tackling him to the floor again.

Zanav managed to pin him to the deck for a moment, and delivered a couple of powerful punches to his face. Rathier summoned all of the training he'd received over the past thirteen years, and abandoned his attempts to protect his face. Instead he re-focused his energy into getting out from under Zanav. He whipped his head up from the floor, striking his forehead into the king's nose.

Zanav recoiled in pain, and Rathier knocked him backward. In a moment, their positions were reversed, and Rathier held Zanav down against the deck. The king writhed dangerously beneath him. He was berserk in his fury. Rathier punched him, hard, in the face, and the king's head dropped to the deck. Succeeding in pinning him for a moment, Rathier panted and tried to think of what to do. How he could get there fast enough…how he could stop it. His mind worked furiously. 

"Why?!" Zanav hissed beneath him. "Why do you care so much? You were always the one who wanted to leave the most. Why do you fight so hard to save them now?!"

Rathier looked down into the eyes of the man he'd once thought of as a brother, and answered honestly. "I just can't let you do it, Max. I can't let you destroy them…destroy **her**, to try to kill the hate inside you."

"And I," Zanav replied coldly, "can't let you stop me."

Rathier suddenly felt a sliver of cold steel against his belly. His wild eyes sought out Zanav's, but the king's were merciless as the blade cut into him. Rathier cried out in pain as his one-time friend jerked the dagger across his abdomen, spilling his guts out over Zanav, beneath him, and onto the deck.

Rathier screamed from the pain, and tumbled off of the king onto his back on the deck. For a moment there was no sound other than the heavy breathing from both men, and the beeping, which was steadily increasing in frequency as the counter neared its mark. _How much time left?_ Rathier wondered…_not enough time…not enough time…_

Rathier gasped, feeling warm all of the sudden and realizing that it was because he was lying in a spreading pool of his own blood. His breath was erratic. His eyes seemed to wander of their own volition around the spacious room, settling on the view screen; on Liz's horrified face, her screams unheard over the image-only transmission…and then back to Zanav. He looked at the king helplessly, and was startled at the expression he saw there.

Zanav looked shocked. His eyes were wide and his mouth gaped…the bloody dagger forgotten in his hand as he gazed upon the dying form of his general. Rathier coughed, and felt the hold in his abdomen tear wider, as his blood bubbled up from his throat, making him choke. A pained cry escaped him, as it suddenly became a battle just to breathe. He gagged, and the harsh sound spurred Zanav into action. He half-crawled, half slipped over to Rathier's side and put his hands over the wound; pressing down. Rathier cried out in agony, then realized that Zanav was trying to stop the bleeding. He looked up at him in pained confusion, and was taken aback at the look on the king's face.

He looked desperate, and horrified, and….sorry. Sorry for having killed his general? Sorry for arming the granilith? Sorry that Rathier had failed against him?

Rathier was stunned. It had been ages since the last time he'd seen Zanav exhibit any form of regret. Suddenly he was seized with another fit of coughing, and waves of agony assaulted him as he half-turned onto his side and vomited blood. He felt Zanav's hands on him through it, and when it was over he fell again onto his back and gasped for air; tasting copper.

Wheezing, Rathier looked up at Zanav. "I guess…I guess I was just destined to die this year, huh Maxwell?" he said in between tortured breaths. "Kind of ironic, isn't it?" _Breathe_. "You go back in time to stop my death, and Isabel's, and prevent the destruction of Earth…." _Breathe_. "In the new timeline you become so embittered with your life that you go on to kill me, and annihilate Earth to stop the pain your choice brought you."

Zanav's face was stricken; he still looked as if he were in shock. The reality of everything was hitting him all at once. "Michael," he whispered, "I'm sorry…I…I didn't mean for this…"

Hope blazoned at the sound of his name. Maybe it _wasn't_ too late? Rathier seized Zanav's arm with a sudden urgency, feeling time slipping through their fingers. "This doesn't have to be the end, Max. You can still stop this."

The shock was still evident in Zanav's voice. "Michael…I never meant for any of this to happen."

Rathier was finding it harder to breathe, and therefore speak. He struggled to make himself understood as the lights in the room seemed to dim all around him. "It's not too late, Max. Stop this." Zanav looked at him blankly, and he said again "This doesn't have to be the end."

As Zanav watched, his one-time best friend, and general of his forces for the past ten years, slipped away into the waiting embrace of death. The urgent light in his eyes faded, and his head rested back upon the deck. The grip on the king's arm loosened, and his hand fell away. "There's a way," he whispered. And then Zanav was alone.

He stared at the body of the man he'd once called brother, and there was a whirlwind in his mind. The hatred and bitterness of the past thirteen years swirled around in his head, battling the newfound confusion and angst over having killed Rathier.

__

Michael, he corrected himself. He looked down at his old friend and saw his own hands…wet and stained red from Michael's life's blood. And the dagger…he still held the dagger. 

With a disgusted cry he flung it away from him, watching as it hurled beyond the console and struck the wall beside the view screen, clattering to the floor. The view screen…

Liz's tear-stained face stared back at him accusingly from the view screen. She was still inside the granilith; she'd seen their struggle and Michael's death at his hands. In her eyes was pain, fear, and guilt. Fear at what was to happen…pain and guilt over the choices she had helped to make that ultimately led to this moment. For the first time in thirteen years, Max saw the reflection of himself again in Liz's eyes. And just as it had then, it showed him now the truth about himself that he'd been unwilling to face. For the first time in thirteen years, he was able to see himself through another person's eyes. To view his own actions from another perspective. And he was horrified at what he saw. 

He'd been truthful to Michael…this was not what he had intended. What had happened to the young man who'd risked his own safety to save the life of a girl who'd barely ever spoken to him? What had happened to the stars in his eyes, and the love in his heart? When had he become so embittered, and hateful? Like scales dropping from his eyes, he finally saw clearly. Everything that he'd done…all of it, was a baleful reaction to finding out that he'd had another life. One in which everything was perfect, and it had been taken away from him. In anyone else…it would have hurt, but that would have been the end of it. But he went on to be a king. The rest was lost in power. And in the power came retribution through the deaths of his peoples' enemies. 

In the space of a breath, he saw all of this reflected back to him through Liz's eyes, and he knew what had to be done. He had to get down there. If he had any hope of making this right, he had to stop the granilith from exploding.

~*~*~*~*~

~ Earth: The Granilith ~

~*~*~*~*~

Fresh tears coursed down Liz's face as she watched Max pull away from Michael's body. He stood, unbalanced for a moment, and looked down at the blood coating his tunic. He seemed to falter for a moment, and then straightened with renewed purpose. He headed out of the view of the screen. All that was left was Michael, lying dead in a pool of his own blood on the floor, and the flashing yellow light on the console that continued to increase in sequence.

Liz sobbed and turned away from the view screen, her desperate gaze falling to the console before her. This could all only mean one thing. Max was here to destroy Earth. He was going to use the granilith to do it, and it had already been armed. Michael had tried to stop him, but failed.

Why? Why did Max hate them so much? She knew things had been strained between them in the past few months before they'd left, but she never would have thought it would lead to this. Liz tried to push down the thousands of screaming questions in her mind, and looked for a way to stop the countdown.

The odds were slim to none that there would be a mechanical override…probably there was a panel somewhere that needed a code inputted before the sequence would deactivate. She had no idea what the code might be…but she couldn't just stand there and do nothing to stop it. She frantically ran her hands over the dusty console, clearing it of debris and looking for anything out of the ordinary.

__

Looking for what?, she asked herself_, a big red arrow that says "Disarm bomb here"?_ Finding nothing on the surface of the console, she knelt down and felt along the underside of it. In the midst of her search, she heard a sound behind her…a scuffling. One hand bracing herself on the console, she pivoted a bit on her heel and peered behind her, searching the gloom with her eyes…

Meeting another pair, gazing back at her. A stranger's eyes…yet infinitely familiar to her. Max stood looking at her from an alcove in the wall across from the console. 

Liz gasped and jumped to her feet, pressing back against the console, her heart pounding loudly in her chest. Even in her surprise, her observational nature noted the blood caking his tunic; his hair pushed back into sweaty spikes. Even as she trembled in fear, the scientist in her wondered how he'd been transported from the ship to the granilith. She stared at him in silence, unsure of his intentions. Stunned at seeing him there in front of her, after all this time. Afraid he'd come to kill her, as he'd killed Michael.

He looked at her silently, drinking her in with his eyes. It surprised him, how much just being in the same room with her affected him after all this time. He'd always wondered to himself what would happen if he were ever alone with her in a room again. Wondered what that first timeline had been like…the one he'd never had a chance to experience. He never imagined he'd feel anything other than hate; other than bitterness. But now all he felt was urgency and hope.

He stepped toward her and saw her cringe back in fear from him. Belatedly realizing how it must look to her, he hastened to explain. "Liz," he said, trying to speak softly. "I'm not here to hurt you. But I need to get to the console to stop the countdown."

Liz glared back at him. How did he expect her to trust him now? She'd just seen him murder Michael in cold blood. How did she know he didn't just need to get to the console to program in some final-needed bit of information for the blast? She didn't move, and her expression was one of hardened betrayal and guarded fear. 

Max tried to let his sincerity show on his face, but his anxiousness radiated from him in waves. There was so little time left… "Listen to me, Liz. I know what you're thinking. And up until five minutes ago, you'd have been right. But you've got to trust me…you **have** to let me at that console, or everything will have been for nothing. Michael will have died for nothing."

Liz wavered, but her suspicion remained. "How do I know he won't have died for nothing if I let you mess with these controls?" she bit out.

"You don't," he answered, his voice full of desperation. "But I need you to trust me right now." Seeing the unfaded resolve in her eyes, Max crossed quickly to her, and grabbed her face between his hands, their bodies close. For the first time in over a decade he focused on the bond between them. He threw all of his hope, all of his despair into it. In his desperation, he bared his soul to her once again, and his entire manner was thick with emotion as he let her see everything…everything, as he stared into her eyes.

Eyes fixed on Max's, Liz nonetheless almost buckled under the rush of images that assaulted her. Too fast, too violent, Liz caught only flashes; bits and pieces. Ships, great ships in space. An alien planet with red skies, red water. There was Michael, Isabel, in some building…palace? Tess…crying, far away. Wars…campaigns against hundreds of star systems, falling before the juggernaut. Violence, anger, hatred, bitterness…remorse. Regret. Realization. Hope. 

With a cry she flung herself away from Max, allowing him access to the console. She panted, breathless, trying to recover, as he moved beside her. She watched his quick movements as he touched a panel, and from within the depths of the console a keypad arose. Max's fingers flew deftly over the alien symbols, and he held his breath as the flashing light sped up alarmingly.

The final sequence entered, Max stepped back, eyes shooting to the display. His heart stopped for a moment as the yellow light sped up to constant, then finally was able to breathe when it went out. It was disarmed. 

He stood staring at it for a few moments, before daring to look at Liz. She stood, chest heaving, still trying to recover from everything she'd seen and felt over the past half hour. Biting her lip, she met his gaze. They stared at each other; uncertain in the next move. 

Liz tried to piece through everything she'd seen in their flash. She couldn't keep the revulsion off her face as she recalled the millions of lives lost in the advancement of Zanav's armies. The pain, the death, the suffering. All because of this one person, who'd once saved her life. Suddenly she realized what Max intended to do. Why he was hopeful. "You're going back again, aren't you?" she asked, but it was more of a statement than a question. 

__

"This doesn't have to be the end… There's a way…" 

Max nodded slowly. "I can't let it stay this way," he said. "I have to change it."

"And then what?!" Liz exploded. "What happens when **that** timeline goes wrong? Do you come back again? Is this all there's ever going to be? An endless cycle of history repeating itself, as you try and try to fix it?"

Max's reasoning was the direct opposite of Liz's rage. "I don't know," he said quietly. "But I've got to try, Liz. If not for you, and for me, and for…Michael. For all of those people who suffered **because** of me."

Liz calmed. "If you're successful, if you can do this…you and I won't exist. Not as we do now."

Max swallowed. "If I don't do this…everyone will die. I have to do this. I have to try it." He saw the truth of it reflected back at him through her eyes, and knew that this was the right…the **only** decision. He reached out a hand as if to touch her face, caressing the air above her skin…so close that she could feel the heat from his hand. Then he drew away, and began programming the console to do what he needed. 

Liz took a deep breath, and watched as he finished typing in his commands. He turned toward her; his back to the granilith chamber, which had started to glow purple. She saw sadness in his eyes. 

"It wasn't supposed to be like this, Liz," he said. "Maybe we should never have changed it to begin with."

"It's too late for maybes," she answered, steeling herself for the end of the only existence she'd ever known. "If you'd known everything…." She trailed off, watching the granilith light up behind him. "Tell him everything, Max." she said urgently. "He has to know everything this time."

Max nodded, then everything warped, and he was _inside_ the granilith. The world swirled around him, and through the haze he could make out Liz…her slim figure waiting there, by the console. The woman who'd made a difference in his life just by existing, in every timeline. _We'll get it right this time, Liz…I swear. _He reached out a hand, as if to touch her. 

Moved, Liz reached up, as if to touch him…but there was a flash, and suddenly there was nothing.

**__**

~*~*~*~*~

~ Earth: 2000 ~

~*~*~*~*~

From the shadows, Zanav, ruler of nations, watched as Tess stood to leave, and his younger self remained on the bench, melancholy. He hadn't been able to hear their words…but he remembered them well enough. 

Can I sit down?

Sure.

Are you all right?

Not really.

Do you want me to leave?

No.

Here was where it had to change, he thought. He had to stop this deception…now, tonight. But it couldn't be allowed to go on as it had in the first timeline, either. He had to tell him everything. 

As he stepped from the shadows, the man who had once been Max Evans, from Roswell, New Mexico felt the first moment of true hope he'd experienced since long before he could remember. Liz was wrong. This wasn't going to be an endless cycle of mistakes, and going back to correct them. This time things could be right. This time he would know the truth. All of it.

He came to a halt before the bench, and Max heaved a disconsolate sigh and looked up. At first the confusion was plain upon his face, as he almost, but not quite recognized the man who stood before him. A question began to form on his lips, but then he saw the man's eyes. Deep pools of agony and pain, and heavily weighed burdens. Eyes that he looked into every morning in the mirror. Shock robbed him of his words, and he gaped soundlessly as the man sat on the bench next to him. 

"I have a story to tell you," he said to himself, "But I can only tell you the beginning. The end is up to you."

__

~ FIN ~

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author's note: * so whatcha think? which version is better? Thanks for reading!! : ) *


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